Tube cleaner



E. BERTONE Sept. 6, 1927.

TUBE CLEANER Filed Feb. 25, 1926 INVENTOR ToRNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

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Application -iedr'ebruary 26,1ea'6l serial Nb?. sageizsfv` lThis inventionlrellates to flue and"l tube cleaner-'s` i n One importa-nt object of the invention is to provide an improved general construction of device of this character.

lreadily removed and other knives of the same-ordi'fferent radial dimensionsto be inserted in place 'thereof right or left.

ri'ourth'important object of the inventionl is to provide 'an improved device of the "kind having an improved arrangement" of locking'- means for hold-ing the blades m" place.

l.Vith the above and` otherlobjeets inaview' as willbe hereinafter apparent, Vthe invention consistsV in general ocertain` novelide-` tails of construction andv combinations' ofy parts"hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated inthe z tccompanyingi drawings and specifica-lfly claimed In the accompanying'drawings vlike char-f actors of're'ference indicate like parts 1n fthe' several views, and:

' Figure l is aside elevation partly in|14 section ot fthe complete device.l

Figure2 is side elevation of the E.scraper body with theblades-re'movediA` Figure l Figurel L is' a= section onf the linev of Figure 11. A

Figure 5 is a perspective view" of 'onef ofE the blades.

Figure 6 is a side'view partly in'isection' throughoneof the-links of the flexible chain 1" drive.

Figure 7 shows a modification link.V

In the embodiment'of the in'ventionhereil in shown there is providedfal cleaner body.`

of such'Y a maar@ ai@l ySleeveif pesaba] Tits Sleeve isflloose on the portion 11fso lthat it'may tilt thereon as when the device is used in a pipe havingon'eV or. more A curves or bends therein'. i

In thefopposifte end ofthe sleeve is `received* one end ofA short(K shaft 'T116r Aa slot. therein and through thefsleeve and slotv 17 passesa'pin 18. arranged at right angles e The end o'f'lth'eshaft fits looselyl the sleeve and is beveled to per? mittil'ting, and thus the` sleeve anditsucon-` nections form al'lspeciesof loo'sepuniversal joint v enabling'. the cleanery toy traverse ilues andy'pipe's having verygfshrt bends. i n

A t theendof the shank opppsite the portion Il 1there islsecure'd a heady having three arms 19 extendingV from the'lflat` faces of the shank and.; provided- With rectangular ter-.

minal portionsl 20j; provided withl stops 20Y on their louter ends each having al V-shaped groove ltormedinwits end face,- sai-d grooves Y radiating from the axis ofthe body. Slidable on-Ath'e shank is a sliding headv having arms 2 1 and' grooves 22 like ,those of) the fixedf head;l the grooves in the two heads being opposed." Each pair of grooves holds a` blade 23 havingf-V-shaped' ends httingthe groovesand provided'at each end `with lugs 24.- hSe lugs engaging,y upon the blades.

movingvoutvvard-ly, with the inner faces of the4 stops'20 of respective arms. Each bladeE4 1s; i of V.eoursef provided with a cutting edgev 25. The length of thesebladesis such that movement; of the sliding head toward the cylindrical end of theV shank'permits the,

blades tov be Withdrawn. Thus any desired Figure Sie 'fi-:sectionontheline'ofj number 0f Sets 0f blades vmay be intelchangea-bly usedI 1n the same head andthe depths oiradial: dimensions of thesev sets may be different so thatthe-eifective Work-l ing" diameter of' `the tool may be c'hange'd'by simply'substitutingone set of blades foranother, eachset having` considerable vrange owing-to the* blades 'being radially movable.

Thus'the tool may be usedfor. any sized tub-f ing, pipe; flfuesor the zlike. To hold the slid` inghead'in position onthe shank to secure: the blades from releaseyarious means mayv beusedf butv there has :been Vhere shown yoke 26 shaped to fit the shank-and of proper' Widthtoi fit `bet-Ween the'v end lfl and the sliding: head 'upon' thek latter being?v moved4 to v,en-1 gage the blades. This yoke is kept from dropping oii' by an ordinary cotter pin 27.

To the fixed head may be secured a boring device for use Whenever the tube or pipe Cil lll]

is so choked as to prevent the head being forced through the same. This boring device preferably consists of a base 28 which is removably secured to the fixed head as'by a nut 29 and projecting from this base are substantially triangular cutter' blades 30.

In order to drive the cleaner there is provided a flexible chain consisting of a series of links each having a shank 31 terminating at each end in an eye 32, the eyes of adjacent links being engaged. On the shank of each link is a spindle shaped Vdrum of fibre or other suitable material 33 formed 'of two longitudinally extending halves and each end of the drum is circumferentially grooved to Vreceive a snap rin@ 34 by which the halves are held together. Itnclosing these links is a coiled spring 35 which embraces the bearings and byfreason of t-he spindle shape of said bearings the spring and chain may be bent to a small radius for use in tubes having abrupt bends. This spring is held out of contact with the chain by the drums and is thus kept from getting hot under heavy duty. Outside the spring is a iexible metallic tube 36 and one endof this tube surrounds a` portion of the short shaft 16, this end being slotted to receive one end of the terminal linl7 of the chain and a pin 37 passing through the shaft end and the eye of said link to hold the chain to the shaft. Surrounding the shaft 16 about midway of its length is a bushing 38, ball bearings 39 being provided to allow the shaft to run freely in this bushing. The end of the flexible tube 36 is secured to the bushing by brazing or the like. The flexible shaft is driven by some suitable motive power (not shown) and in use the head is inserted in the flue to be cleaned. As the head rotates the blades will be forced outwardly by centrifugal force and will scrape the flue clean. The tube 36 is fed slowly into the flue, the flexibility of the parts permitting it to pass around any bends in said flue and thus the ent-ire flue is quickly cleaned.

There has thus been provided a simple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

l. In a tube cleaner, a body having a shank provided with a fixed head atone end,

a sliding head mountedon said shank, said heads being provided with arms having stops at their outer ends, the stops on each head extending toward the other head, confronting grooves formed in said ends substantially radial to the axis of the head, blades having ends engaged in said grooves to movetoward yandl from said axis, lugs carried by said blades adapted to engage the stops to limit outward movement of the blades and means to prevent movement of the sliding head away from said blades.

2. In a tube cleaner, a body having a shank provided with a fixed head at one end, a. sliding head mounted on said shank, said heads being provided with arms having stops at their outer ends the stops on. each head extending toward the other head, Y

confronting grooves formed in said ends substantially radial to the axis of the head, blades having ends engaged in said grooves to move toward and from said axis, lugs on the inner corners of the blades `engageable with the stops as the blades move outwardly, and means to prevent movement of the sliding head away from said blades.

3. In a tube cleaner, a body having a shank provided with a fixed head at one end, a sliding head mounted on said shank, said heads being provided with arms having stops at their outer ends, the stops on each head extending toward the other head, confronting grooves formed in said ends substantially radial to the axis of the head, blades having ends engaged in said grooves to move toward and from said axis, an enn largement on the end of the shank opposite the fixed head, a yoke embracing the shank between the enlargement and the sliding head, and a pin extending through the ends of the yoke.

4. In a tube cleaner, a body having a shank provided with a fixed head at one end, a sliding head mounted on said shank, said heads being provided with arms having stops at their outer ends, the stops on each head extending toward the other head, confronting grooves formed in said ends substantially radial to the axis of the head, blades having ends engaged in said grooves to move toward and from said axis, anV enlargement on the end'of the shank opposite the fixed head, a yoke embracing the shank between the enlargement and the sliding head, a pin extending through the ends of the yoke, and lugs on the inner corners of the blades engageable with the stops as the blades move outwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EUGENE BEETONE. 

